Going Forward
by x-LoneStar-x
Summary: If you were trying to warn someone of future events, how would you accomplish that? Would you simply go back in time to warn them? Or would you bring them into the future, so that they could see it for themselves? Lily/James/Harry/Draco/Ron/Hermione/Ginny
1. Chapter 1 My Name Is

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: For once, I am determined to publish a story on here and actually finish it. However, if at any point you start reading my story and notice that I haven't updated it in a while, feel free to review telling me bloody hurry up uploading the next chapter.

I've written around 18 pages of the story already. I promise I'll be fairly speedy with the uploading (or try to be, at any rate)! I've already written the epilogue for this, even though I'm only at the very beginning of the story, but I figured if I already had the ending written out, it'd give me motivation to carry on with this one for a bit longer than the others that I've written, since it'd be a waste to have an ending with no middle section. I think I've rambled enough now (SORRY!), so I'll get started with the first chapter.

Going Forward

Chapter 1 – My Name Is

I can't believe Potter! That arrogant jerk!

Granted, the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry has been going on for centuries, but his crew has taken it too far.

He shows no sign of remorse for the way he treats that poor boy. Does being a Slytherin make him less human?

Potter has no idea what his life has been like. The way he's been treated.

Hogwarts is his escape from all that.

The one place he feels remotely happy.

Not everyone has a happy childhood – loving parents, a home where they feel safe and secure. I can't even begin to imagine how unhappy he really is – and I know him better than most.

Should I really be that concerned about him? He didn't show me the same courtesy when I stuck up for him back there, just threw it back in my face.

He doesn't need my help.

Doesn't need the likes of me defending his corner.

"Typical Gryffindor," he said "Sticking their noses in where it doesn't belong."

When did it all change?

Why should it matter now that we're in different houses?

When did he decide I was so inferior, that being a mudblood makes me unworthy of this magic?

My name is Lily Evans. I'm 16 years old, and I am a witch.

This is my story.


	2. Chapter 2 Dumbledore's Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: I've literally just uploaded the first chapter onto , but I figured that since I've already got so much written up already, I might as well treat you and upload the first few chapters now, to give it a bit of a kick-start. Hope you enjoy!

Going Forward

Chapter 2 – Dumbledore's Plan

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

The old professor sat at his desk, deep in thought. The sound of someone sharply rapping at his door broke his concentration. It was rare that an arrival at his door surprised him – he was so used to knowing what people were planning to do before it happened. He had been so distracted that he hadn't noticed the Scottish teacher approaching his office.

"Come in Minerva."

He smiled warmly at her as she entered the room, and noted the look of concern written across her face.

"You look troubled, Albus. Is something wrong?"

"I've just got a lot on my mind. These are troubled times and we ll have some hard decisions to make. I, myself, am having to make some choices as we speak. I think there may be something I can do to help us, but I can't help thinking it could have some negative consequences."

"Everything we do has consequences, you know that better than most. What you need to decide is whether the good it will do outweighs the bad."

"As always, Minerva, you have been a great help."

The professor was grateful, having Minerva as an employee. She had always been wise beyond her years, a true inspiration for the young students.

"Now, what did you want to see me about?"

Professor McGonagall sighed, rolling her eyes before going on to tell the Headmaster about the evenings events.

"Mr Malfoy and Mr Potter."

Dumbledore noticed the annoyance in her voice. She seemed to be getting fed up with the boys behaviour. "Again. Something Needs to be done. In times like these, our houses need to be showing a united front. Instead, we have constant squabbling in class and fist-fights in the hallways. This has got to stop. Especially since we've got the exchange students arriving in just a few days. How is our school going to look if they think our students can get away with these prank wars and duels?"

"I couldn't agree more. Where is Severus?"

"He's taken the boys to the infirmary. I think they'll both need to be kept in overnight."

"Very well. If you could let Severus know I'll be expecting him and the students both in my office in the morning – is 9 OK for you?"

"Thanks, Albus. I shall speak to you tomorrow."

The woman rose from her chair and quietly left, heading towards the infirmary to pass on Dumbledore's message.

Dumbledore chuckled to himself. Those boys were never going to get along. Would they?

Realisation struck him as a plan began to construct itself. Perhaps what he'd been planning could be beneficial in more ways that one. If anyone was to find out what he was going to do, they'd think he'd gone mad.

This was very irresponsible. Who knew what would change if he were to go through with this. His mind was set now, though, he wasn't going to change his mind. He would do it tonight, before he had a chance to back out.

While the students soundly slept, Dumbledore began to set things in motion. Their pleasant dreams undisturbed, they had no idea that their lives were going to change. How would they? It was all happening 25 years in the future.


	3. Chapter 3 Thrown Into The Snakepit

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: Chapter 3 is little bit longer than the previous chapters. Be warned though, chapters 4, 5 and 6 are shorter than this, so make the most of this lengthier one. It'll be a while before you get the full extent of my rambling again.

Going Forward

Chapter 3 – Thrown Into The Snakepit

Oh God! My head! This is the last time I let Padfoot talk me into drinking Firewhiskey on a school night. Not that I need much convincing…

Still, after the 2nd bottle, we all should have stopped and called it a night. If he'd not gotten out the other one he had stashed away, I wouldn't be feeling like this.

Hang on… where am I? I'm not in my dorm.

Things must've gotten really wild last night. I thought I'd remembered getting into bed, yet here I am in the corridors. I have no idea where I am. What floor am I on? I guess I should find a way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"Mr Potter…"

Oh no! I know that voice. What is he thinking – sneaking up on me? Perhaps I should hex some sense into him… Wait! He's _really_ old!

"Snape? Is that you?"

He glared at me, but carried on walking past me. "_Professor_ Snape, Potter. If you recall our conversation last night, the Headmaster is expecting you. I suggest you leave **NOW**"

What the hell?!? Am I in the twilight zone? _Professor_ Snape? I must be dreaming. Or in some alternate reality. I wonder who the Headmaster is – who could be crazy enough to hire Snape as a teacher? I guess I should go pay this Headmaster a visit. If he's expecting me, I suppose I shouldn't let the guy down.

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Come in, Mr Potter."

The young boy slowly opened the door and peeked in, before stepping into the office. Professor Dumbledore sat opposite a young girl with red hair. 'Lily?' James thought to himself, 'If Snape and Dumbledore are both so much older here, why isn't she?' Dumbledore looked up from his desk and motioned towards a door on his right. James went through the door to wait for his professor, gutted that he hadn't got a look at the girl's face. It must've been Lily, right? Who else could it be?

"Miss Weasley, thank you for your assistance. I believe our new student will have found her way to Gryffindor Tower by now. If you could introduce yourself before she wanders off again, I'd be very grateful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some important matters to attend to with Mr. Potter."

Ginny scurried out of the office to get back to the dorms, curious about what Harry and the professor would discuss. She would probably never find out. Nobody ever told her what was going on, what they were whispering about when they thought noone was noticing. She'd accepted it long ago, though, so it wasn't a problem. She knew they didn't trust her. She knew she'd never have any involvement in their adventures.

"I hear you was expecting me, Professor?"

"Actually, Mr Potter, I was expecting somebody else. This was quite a surprise."

"Oh. Well… do you know why I'm here?"

"I presume it is because you thought I had requested your company?"

"No, I mean _how_ I got here? I woke up and everything was different."

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter, I'm unable to explain how or why you've got here. However, I think it best, for the time being, that your presence is kept a secret."

"Yeah, I guess so. So, where should I stay?"

"We'll have to disguise you as an exchange student. Remember, your identity **must** be kept a secret from your peers. Now, I presume you'll be capable of performing a few simple charms to change your appearance?"

"Y-Yes. Of course Professor."

"Very good. I'll let you pick a name for yourself. There's a mirror over there." The professor pointed over to a large, dusty mirror in the corner of the room.

"I have some business to attend to in the other room, I'll leave you to it."

The Professor shut the door behind him and turned to face the two boyssat t his desk, their Head of Houses stood behind them.

"Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy, I'm glad you could join us. I head the two of you caused quite a commotion yesterday. And only a week into the school year! Now, I've been trying to think of a suitable punishment for the two of you and I think I've found it. You will have 10 days of detention, together, over the next 3 weeks. Perhaps having to work together will allow you to put your differences aside. Mr Filch will be expecting you this evening at 7, in his office. I trust that you will arrive on time. If either of you are late, to any of your detentions, an extra day will be added on for both of you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Professor." The two boys replied.

"Mr Potter, you may be excused. Mr Malfoy, I'd like you to stay behind please. Thank you for your time, Minerva, Severus."

The Head of Gryffindor and Slytherin bowed their heads and exited. With a quick smirk in the young Slytherin's direction, Harry did the same, closing the door behind him. Draco scowled. 'Bloody Potter,' he thought to himself 'Dumbledore _would_ let his little pet miss out on the rest of his lecture.'

"Mr Malfoy, I was hoping you might do me a favour." Draco's mouth opened in surprise, but quickly composed himself.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I noticed you have opted to not take part in our exchange program. We've had a number of students drop our and haven't enough students taking part. A student arrived this morning and I was hoping you might consider taking him under your wing."

"With all due respects, Sir, I'm afraid I won't have time to look after some guy who doesn't speak a word of English. I have my prefect duties, the quidditch team, and with my detentions on top of that, I'm worried I might fall behind on my schoolwork."

"I'm sure it won't be a problem, Mr Malfoy." The Professor rose from his seat and headed towards the side door.

"I think you'll find his English to be excellent, and as he will be in your house for the duration of his stay, he may be an asset to your quidditch team. Also, I'm sure if I have a work with your teachers about the predicament I'm putting you in, they'll be very understanding about you needing extensions in your coursework."

He opened the door, and a boy entered the room. He had long, messy brown hair and dazzling bright blue eyes. "Mr Malfoy, this is…" Dumbledore trailed off, giving the new boy a chance to speak. The tall boy stepped forward, holding a hand out for Draco to shake "Jacob Greene, nice to meet you. What house are you in?"

"Slytherin. My name is Draco. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the dorms. Professor, does he have his schedule?"

"He'll be in all of your classes, Mr Malfoy."

"Great." Draco muttered. "This guy had better not get on my nerves."

Draco, oblivious to the look of disgust on his new housemates face upon mentioning he would be a Slytherin, turned to leave the room. 'Jacob' quickly followed after him.

"So… what are the babes like here?" He asked Draco as soon as the door had closed behind them. 'Might as well have some fun while I'm stuck here' he thought to himself.

"We've got a fair few hot chicks here." Draco smirked. "Come on, lets get back to the dungeons so I can change and then we can go check them out on the way to breakfast." Draco smiled to himself as they continued walking. It seemed like this guy had his priorities straight.

Perhaps they would get along after all.


	4. Chapter 4 Fed To The Lions

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: And now here's chapter 4… we're starting to get a bit more into the plot now. Enjoy!

Going Forward

Chapter 4 – Fed To The Lions

Ok. I'm freaking out here. What the **hell** happened? I wake up and I'm no longer in my dorm. I find my way back and the password has changed. Then, I discover that I can't recognise _any_ of the students.

"Are you ok?"

A boy walked along the hallway, towards me.

"Ummm…." Should I tell him whats happened? I've never seen him before, but he must be about my age… surely I would have seen at least _some_ of these students, especially since they're hanging around Gryffindor Tower. Actually, he does look sort of familiar.

"I'm fine. What's your name?"

"Neville Longbottom."

Ahh… that'd explain it. "Oh. I thought I recognised you! Are you related to some called Frank?"

The boy looked down at his shoes, he seemed upset. Clearly, I said something wrong. Maybe they didn't get along?

"Y-Yes. He was my father."

What!?!?!?! "Was?"

"Yeah… Sorry I've got to go." The boy darted away. Oh God. Was he crying? Did I just make him cry? Could he really be Frank Longbottom's son? They_ did _ look alike…

If he was telling the truth, then that would mean I'm somehow in the future. Oh crap! What am I going to do? What if someone recognises me? I'll have to disguise myself. My hair is a bit too obvious. Well… I've always wondered how I'd look with black hair. Eyes? Brown would be good, I suppose. While I'm at it, I guess I might as well add a few inches to my height. Getting a bit taller won't hurt.

Ok, so now I won't be recognised. What do I do next?

Someone tapped me on the shoulder at this point, damn-near frightening the life out of me. I turned, only to find myself facing someone who looked a hell of a lot like me.

Ginny turned the corner, just one more set of stairs to climb now, then she'd reach the Gryffindor tower. She passed by Neville on the stairs, who looked a little distraught. He rushed past her before she had a chance to see if he was alright, so she made a mental note to check up on him later. She reached the portrait of The Fat Lady, and found the girl in question stood there, looking worried. Finny strode up to her and tapped her on the shoulder, which caused the new girl to jump. She spun around, a look of surprise painted across her features.

"Hi. You're the new exchange student, right? The American student? Professor Dumbledore told me I'd find you here."

"He did?"

"Yeah. He asked me to show you around. _Fizzing Whizzbees."_

The portrait swung upon and Ginny started heading in to the common room. She turned around. "Well? Are you coming?"

"Ummm… Yeah. You are you?"

"Oh sorry! The name's Ginny Weasley. What's yours?"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Julia Greenbelt."

The two girls sat in their dorm for a while, Ginny telling 'Julia' all about the school.

'This girl sure knows a lot!' Lily thought to herself. Obviously, most of the things she already knew, but she seemed to know about lots of secret passageways throughout the castle.

"Hey Ginny? Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure. What is it?"

"What happened to Neville's Dad? I was talking to him earlier and I think I may have upset him somehow."

Ginny began to look uncomfortable. It was apparent that she didn't like to gossip about people, which Lily found unusual but somewhat comforting. Perhaps if she decided to confide in her, she would keep her secret. "Well… they had a run-in with deatheaters when he was just a baby. I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. He doesn't like to talk about it really. Frank and Alice Longbottom have been in St. Mungo's ever since."

"Oh." A single tear rolled down her face. Frank and Alice were always such good friends to her. She couldn't believe it. No, she didn't want to believe it. To think, that friends of hers had been affected so badly that they were still in hospital, even now, over a decade later. She couldn't bear to think about it.

"Hey. Don't feel bad. You couldn't have known you would upset him. It's not your fault."

"Yeah. You're right. Sorry, you must think I'm so strange, getting all upset. It's just so terrible what happened to them."

"Yeah, well lots of people lost family members in the war. And people will lose lives in this war as well."

"This war?"

"Yeah… I know what the papers are saying, but trust me, a war is coming. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back. Anyway, I think this conversation has gotten a bit too serious. Why don't we go down to breakfast, then I'll give you a tour of the castle."

"Yeah. Sounds great."


	5. Chapter 5 Tactful

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: Hope you guys have enjoyed the story so far. We get to see a few more characters appear in this chapter. Let me know what you think. Also, I hope it won't get too confusing, with Lily and James using fake names, as at some points in the story I'll be alternating between using their real and fake names.

Going Forward

Chapter 5 – Tactful

"Weaslette!"

Ginny groaned as she arrived outside The Great Hall with her new friend. She'd been dreading this moment since the following evening when Harry had jumped in to defend her. She hated it when he did that. It made her look weak.

"Malfoy. I see you're finally conscious. What a shame." She noticed there was a new member in his group. The new boy was staring at her. She returned his look with a glare, then turned to face Malfoy again.

"No bodyguards today then? Tell me, what are you going to do without your brother and his friends to protect you?"

"I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, thank you. You, on the other hand, got yourself in quite a mess yesterday when you didnb't have your goons to step in for you." She smirked at him, knowing last nights events were quite embarrassing for him.

"You know her?" 'Jacob' mumbled to Draco, "She's not new then, like me?"

Draco frowned, confused by his friends question. "No, mate, she's not new." He paused, noticing the girl stood beside Ginny for the first time. "This one, however, is." He eyed Julia up and down, before winking at her. "Bit of advice, love. You don't want to be hanging around with her sort. You'll get yourself a bad reputation."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Malfoy?"

"It means that your family's name is dirt and people get a bad name for themselves just by associating with your lot."

_SMACK!_

Ginny's fist shot out and struck him across the face before he had time to react. Jacob let out a loud laugh and Draco turned to glare at him. "Sorry mate, but you had it coming. She was right when she said she could handle herself." He glanced at Ginny appreciatively and smiled. "I've got to say, I'm a little impressed. I've never met a girl who can punch like you can."

"Keep talking and you'll feel how hard my punch is. Bloody snakes."

"Malfoy!" The 4 students turned to face the shouting boy, Draco and Ginny both groaning as they realised who it was.

Ron, Hermion and Harry were walking through the crowd of people that had formed around them, making their way towards them. Upon spotting Harry, Jacob and Julia's expressions turned to shock.

"Potter. Weasley. Mudblood." Draco acknowledged each of them as they approached. Ron was rapidly turning purple in anger.

"I would've thought you'd learnt your lesson after what happened yesterday."

Draco scoffed. "And what lesson was that? As I recall, I wasn't the only student to end up in the infirmary. And I assure you, Potter, if it'd been a fair fight, rather than the two of you bumbling idiots tag-teaming me, I would have won."

"Umm… Did you just say his name is Potter?" Julia chimed in, speaking to them for the first time.

Harry looked a little agitated. "Yes. I'm the boy who lived. For Christ's sake, can you stop staring at me?"

"Excuse me? I was **not **staring at you!" Ron and Draco continued their bickering, as Harry's attention turned to this new girl.

"Who the hell are you anyway?"

"I'm Julia, I'm Ginny's exchange student."

"Oh great. I'd forgotten about all the new students." He turned to mumble to Hermione, too quietly for Julia to make out what he'd said. "I guess I should get used to the staring."

"Huh?" Julia was confused, though his comment made her think that he was probably just very vain, expecting everyone to be looking at him when they arrived. She'd been so sure it was James Potter when they'd come over. The eyes were different though, so it must be his son. They were far too familiar for her liking, but she couldn't figure out whose eyes they reminded her of. Probably some silly bint in her year who'd married James for his money and good looks.

"You're awfully vain, aren't you? Why would anyone _want_ to stare at you? You think you're something special just because you've got your fathers looks?"

Immediately, she knew that she'd said something wrong. Even the Slytherin's were looking at her like she'd done something totally taboo. Frank's son, and now James'. Maybe she shouldn't talk about anyone's parents. She'd have to find a more tactful way to find out what her classmates are up to in the future.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I don't think she knows. Julia, come on, we're leaving." Ginny quickly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off before anyone had a chance to respond. "What did you say that for? Do you even know _anything_ about him or his parents?"

"No. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, he was just making me so angry! What happened to his father?" She held her breath, hoping another of her classmates didn't get into Voldemort's clutches. As much as she disliked him, they were housemates and she didn't want anything bad to happen to him.

Ginny sighed. "He's dead."


	6. Chapter 6 Lies, Lies, Lies

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: Lily sure does seem to be getting into trouble with that mouth of hers. Now, who could Harry's eyes remind her of? Anyone want to take a bet on how long it'll take for her to figure it out…?

Going Forward

Chapter 6 – Lies, Lies, Lies

James was _dead!?!?!_ No! I couldn't believe it. What about all of my other classmates? How many of them would survive to see their children grow up? How many would have the chance to _have_ children? A tear rolled down my cheek, and I turned quickly from Ginny to compose myself before it would inevitably follow by a flood of them.

"Are you… are you crying?" Ginny asked timidly, afraid to upset me more and make matters worse.

I sniffed and shook my head. Ginny pulled me towards her and before I knew what was happening, I was sobbing into the collar of her robe as she comforted me with a motherly hug. We stayed that way for a few minutes, until the sobs gradually subsided. Ginny hadn't said anything for a while, and I was unsure what to say to break the silence. "Sorry. I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?"

Ginny smiled at the girl. "No, it's OK. You didn't know. I was wondering though… well, the thing is, Harry Potter is kind of famous. You must've heard about him if you've heard of his father? About the end of the last war with You-Know-Who?

So this was something everyone should know? She was going to give herself away if she kept acting so clueless about everything. What could she say?

"Well… you see, my Mother moved to America to escape the war. We don't tend to hear much news about what is going on over here. She was at Hogwarts around the same time as Harry and Neville's parents. Probably most of the students' parents, actually. So, I've only heard about everything she's told me about Hogwarts and her classmates. I guess things have changed a lot. I was hoping to write to her to let her know about what her old friends were up to, once I'd learnt a little about them. That's partly the reason I signed up for the student exchange actually. I was hoping for slightly better new to report back to her though." She sighed.

That was a pretty convincing lie, right? She hated to lie to this girl, who had been so kind to her, but she couldn't tell her the truth, could she? Maybe she could, perhaps she could help her find a way back. She had to be certain first that she could trust her though.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. Something about Julia's answer didn't seem right. She didn't question it though. "Ok… Look, why don't we go and get some breakfast. I don't know about you, but I'm starving!"

Julia smiled, happy that she'd accepter her lies for the moment. "Sounds good to me."


	7. Chapter 7 Boy Wonder and His Crew

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: So it's been a while since I gave you some more to read, I hadn't meant to leave it this long but I've had a few problems with my computer. All sorted now so I can get back to writing this up. Thanks to everyone who has add this to your story alerts. I hope you're enjoying this so far. Please let me know what you think of it, whether good or bad.

Also, is it getting confusing, knowing whose point of view it is, since I keep switching it around? If it is, let me know and I'll change it a bit to make it easier to follow. Thanks!

Going Forward

Chapter 7 – Boy Wonder and His Crew

What the bloody hell was that all about? This is all way too weird! As if somehow travelling through time wasn't strange enough already, now I'm running into my own son. And my new friend seems to hate him, like, beyond the house rivalry kind of hate. I guess this is how onlookers feel when I'm arguing with Snape. Except… y'know, they're probably not thinking 'Oh my God! This is my son!' whilst watching the argument unfold. Is it bad that I wanted my new housemate to win the argument? Am I evil, after less than a day posing as a snake?

Technically, neither of them won. The argument didn't involve him anyway, until he decided to get involved. I think the hot red-head was handing herself pretty well.

I chuckled to myself, remembering the punch she'd given Draco only minutes ago, receiving strange looks from my new housemates in the process. I am _so_ not getting the hang of being a Slytherin. Is it normal for them to laugh? Actually, it's definitely not normal for someone to start laughing, seemingly for no reason whatsoever, regardless of what house you're in. Oops! Maybe if I just stopped acting so weirdly, people would stop looking at me like I'd just grown an extra head. Being the new guy is already drawing in enough attention already, without adding to it by acting like a complete nutter.

I was just about to take another spoonful of my cereal, when I saw her enter the room from the corner of my eye. I turned to watch her, spoon still hovering inches from my mouth as I admired her. The fiery hair, petite figure (though still very curvaceous for her size) and a sort of elegance in the way she moved as she made her was over to the Gryffindor table. It was during this moment, distracted, that one of my fellow housemates flicked the spoon I was holding, spilling its contents around my mouth, some of the milk dripping onto my robes. Clearly they were still sizing me up, trying to see if they could dominate me. Without ever taking my eyes off of her, I reached for my wand, cleaned myself up, and with a quick incantation the student was wearing his bowl of cereal as a hat. I was awarded with a pat on the back as the others sniggered at the boy, whom I'm sure I was introduced to but cannot for the life of me remember his name.

The girl had by now reached her seat, and was greeting her peers as she shovelled a piece of toast into her mouth. Clearly her etiquette was not as graceful and dainty as her movements, but it fascinated me nonetheless. I had been so sure when I'd first seen her that she was Lily. It'd almost shocked me when I discovered that it wasn't her. They look so alike. I'd thought that maybe, just maybe, someone else I knew could be in the same predicament as I was, that we could help each other through whatever had happened to us. But no, I'm all alone. Perhaps they're related though? It'd explain a lot.

Sat next to her was the other new student, looking a little awkward and out of place. I wonder if that's how I look to anyone who happens to glance at me, surrounded by all of these strangers. Still, I wasn't too surprised at how awkward she looked (and must've felt). She'd really put her foot in her mouth during the confrontation in the halls. Typical Americans! I'd better not voice that opinion to anyone; they all think I'm an American too. Still, I don't really understand what she'd said that was so bad. Granted, I was a little offended – who did she think she was, badmouthing me? I've never even met her! It was everyone else's reactions that were unexpected. I could understand my son getting a little angry, but the others all seemed so shocked, as if it was the ultimate social faux-pas.

"Jacob, mate, why are you staring at the Lions?" Draco whispered to me, interrupting me from my thoughts. It still took me a moment to realise he was addressing me. I was going to have to get used to answering to that name.

"Huh? Oh… I was just thinking about what happened before breakfast. Seemed to get pretty intense once the new girl opened her trap."

"You don't know each other then? Aren't you from the same school?"

Shit! Oh fuck, I've gone and messed my story up already!

"It's a pretty big school – at least three times bigger than Hogwarts. I don't notice half the girls in my year. Only the ones worth noticing, of course." He nodded in agreement, and then continued talking. Phew!

"I know what you mean; I wouldn't give most of the students here the time of day. Still, she's pretty fit; I'm surprised you hadn't noticed her. Doesn't seem very tactful though, and definitely doesn't keep very good company." He sneered at the students she was sat with "Suppose she can't help who she gets matched up with though. You should count yourself lucky you're on this table." I looked back over at the Gryffindors. These guys definitely do not get along.

"So what's their deal anyway?"

"Boy wonder and his crew?"

I nodded.

"Well, there's the mudblood, that's the one with the pile of books next to her, arguing with the ginger lad. Bloody Miss-Know-It-All, I tell you. You'll see soon enough, once we've gotten to our classes. Weasley. The one she's arguing with. Family's a disgrace to wizard-kind. His Father is slowly working his way up in the Ministry, but they associate with the wrong sort. Not really accepted in pureblood society. They live in what my Father described as a 'burrow,' and I've lost count of the number of offspring they have. That family breeds like rabbits, I swear! Only one daughter though, you met her earlier. The one with the wicked right-hook, that you found so amusing." He raised an eyebrow at this. "Suppose I _did_ have it coming, but it was a tad unexpected. And then we have Potter. Literally has the entire school grovelling at his feet, hero-worshipping the speccy twat." He paused for a moment to smirk before continuing. "We don't get along, as I'm sure you've already noticed."

"Don't get along? Bit of an understatement, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. He's got a right nasty temper on him though, and he's so much more fun to annoy than half of the twits that go here. If I didn't enjoy watching him go mental so much, I probably wouldn't bother. We've got a bit of a rivalry going on now, seems a shame to end it when I can torment him for another few years." We both chuckled.

"Yep. Definitely glad I'm on your good side, mate. I reckon I'm going to have an interesting time here at Hogwarts."

"Yeah you've got that right. Have you finished? I can show you round some more before we have to get to our first class. Think we'll need to pop to the library anyway to get some books for you. Unless Dumbledore's got it sorted already?"

"No he hasn't. I'd completely forgotten about books. Lets go."

This was the part that I wasn't looking forward to. As hungry as I was, I knew once we stepped through these doors I'd be having to deal with the Potter boy. I was terrible at apologies at the best of times, but how do you say sorry to a stranger for making fun of his dead Dad the first time you spoke to him? It was definitely going to be an uncomfortable experience. I was so grateful to Ginny, having her by my side through all of this. It would be so much harder on my own. Having one friendly face here was such a relief, I'd have to make it up to her somehow, do something nice to show her how much I appreciated having her as a friend, I'll need to figure out what to do at a later time though.

God, I wish everyone would stop staring at me! I knew it was to be expected, having new students arrive is always huge gossip, someone new to talk about and discover secrets about them, It'll be at least a few weeks till it dies down – hopefully by then I'll have figured out what happened to me and will have found a way back. Until then, I'll have to make the best of things. Ginny sat down directly opposite the 3 students we'd met in the hallway. I quickly followed suit and sat next to her, noticing the scowl on Harry's face as I did. Well, I didn't expect it to be easy.

"Hey Guys. Didn't get a chance to introduce you properly earlier. This is Julia. Julia, this is my brother Ron, and his best friends, Hermione and Harry."

I smiled weakly at each of them, failing to disguise my nervousness.

"Nice to meet you all. I'd um, I'd like to apologise for the way I acted earlier. There's no excuse for what I said. I didn't realise it would upset you so much. I have a tendency to not think before I speak, and I hope you won't hold it against me. I know Ginny's really fond of you all, so I figure you must be really nice people. I'd hate to miss out on the chance at a friendship before we've even gotten to know each other. Sorry… I'm not very good at apologising, I should probably just shut up now."

Harry looked up at me.

"Julia, right? Its ok, I know you didn't mean what you said. I'm still not in the best of moods at the moment, but its fine, really." We fell into a comfortable silence after that, with the exception of Hermione and Ron, who were bickering over Ron wanting to copy her potions homework, as he'd not completed his the night before. We were soon giggling at their ridiculous argument. I'm certain there's something more than friendship between those two, they sound so much like an old married couple.

I don't think that they're the only ones with feelings for each other though. At least half a dozen times over breakfast, I noticed Harry gazing at Ginny. He'd look so lost in his thoughts, the, as if he felt me watching him with curiosity, he'd look over at me, realise he'd been caught staring at her, blush and quickly look away. I found the whole situation quite amusing, especially since she seemed so oblivious to his affections. Perhaps if I can find out how she feels about him, I could help her out a bit – my way of repaying her for her kindness. Plus, I still felt guilty about upsetting Harry, so doing something nice for him as well couldn't hurt.

It seemed the argument was beginning to get out of hand, Hermione was beginning to raise her voice. "For the last time Ronald, its your own fault if you've not done the homework. We've only been back a week and you're slacking already! I've let you copy off me for 5 whole years, I'm not going to put up with it for another 2 as well! Find someone else to do it for you!" With that, she stood up and stormed out of the hall. She was gone only moments before her seat was taken by a pretty brunette girl, who wasted no time in getting Ron's attention. It seemed as if whatever was going on between the two friends was going to have complications.

"Hey Ron!" The girl greeted him enthusiastically, "I feel as if I haven't spoken to you at all since we've been back. How was your summer?"

"Hey Lavender." With that, the two started off a long conversation. I didn't bother to listen to the rest. It annoyed me, how obvious she was with her flirtation, girlish giggles seeming to follow every sentence as she hung on to his every word. Hermione was going to have some hard work ahead of her, if she wanted to get her hands on Ron. It was a shame, really. I'd not spent long with the two of them, but they seemed perfect for each other. If this Lavender got in the way, I'm sure it won't last long, but Ron could ruin his chances with the other girl in the process.

Ginny chose this moment to grab my attention, volunteering to show me around some more. I accepted her offer and we rose from the table, only to be stopped by Harry.

"Actually Gin, I was hoping I might get a chance to talk with you alone before classes start?"

Ginny glanced down at her watch. "Sorry, Harry. We've still got to get to the Library to get Julia's books sorted."

His face fell, unable to mask his disappointment.

"I could ask Ron to show me where the Library is, if you want? He'll need to head down there to finish his essay before class anyway, right?"

Ginny threw a disgusted look at her brother, who was busy flirting with Lavender.

"He looks a little busy at the moment. Wouldn't want to disturb their riveting conversation."

She turned back to Harry. "How about lunch? I'll have some spare time to talk then?" He nodded, looking much more optimistic than he had mere moments before. She led me by the arm, out of the Great Hall, towards the library.


	8. Chapter 8 No Running In The Halls

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the following characters, locations and stories which they are based on. They all belong to J.K Rowling and I don't make any profit out of this. Now that that's all cleared up, shall we get on with the story?

A/N: I'm not 100% sure if I actually like this chapter or not, my first draft was halfway through completion before I realised I'd have to change it slightly as there were a few discrepancies with what I've written so far. Let me know what you think about it anyways, I'd like to hear what you think about it.

Going Forward

Chapter 8 – No Running In The Halls.

I had to admit, this was working out better than I'd expected. When Dumbledore had appointed me as babysitter to some idiotic exchange student, I figured it was an attempt to torture me for all the hassle I've given his favourite student. Perhaps it was. He knows me well enough to know that I would hate the idea of it all – he'd had to convince me into it with extensions on my assignments. As it turns out, I had quite a lot in common with Jacob – we were getting along fairly well so far.

He reckons he's a fairly good quidditch player too. To be more precise, he says he's 'bloody brilliant'. He's a seeker though, like me, so if he tries out for the team we may have to juggle things about a bit. I've always fancied myself as more of a chaser than seeker anyway, so this could be a good opportunity to play my favourite position. Father won't be too impressed if he finds out – he's always been adamant that I should play as seeker, as you're far more likely to get noticed for your talent as seeker, apparently.

It wouldn't make any difference if I was discovered by some quidditch scouts anyway – it's hardly the type of career Father has planned for me. I could use the new boy to my advantage though – use him as an excuse if Father complains. After all, if I'm supposed to be looking after him, what would he do without me during quidditch practice if he wasn't on the team? Is it _my_ fault that the only position he's half-decent at is seeker (which I doubt very much, seeker players tend to be very versatile)? Of course not. And if he's actually better than me at seeker (which, again, I doubt very much), then he might be able to beat Potter. And if he can beat Potter, Slytherin could win the cup for the first time in years. Who would everyone applaud and congratulate? Me, obviously, who led us to victory in my first year as Captain.

Of course, I could be getting a little bit ahead of myself here, but I reckon this year we'll be stronger than ever, whereas Potter's team will have lost their 2 beaters, and if he's planning on keeping his best mate as keeper… well, he'd just be making it far too easy for us. The main competition on the Gryffindor team is always going to be Potter though. If only there was a way of getting rid of him.

"Can I help you, boys?" I hadn't noticed until now that Madam Pince was now stood at her library desk, looking at Jacob and myself expectantly. I handed her the list of books Jacob was going to be needing.

"Would you happen to have a copy of these? My exchange student only received his book list this morning, so we've not had a chance to get any for him yet."

She gave me a warm smile. "Certainly, Mr. Malfoy." She quickly glanced at the list I'd handed to her. "Ah. You have the same subjects as out other new student. This should make it much quicker to find…" She trailed off as she scurried away towards the shelves of books. It was at that moment I noticed the other students waiting for Madam Pince to return with the books they'd also requested. I frowned as I realised what Madam Pince had just said.

"The same books? She must have been mistaken."

The red headed witch rolled her eyes at me, before replying "No, Malfoy. She's getting books for her 6th year lessons."

"You're a 6th year?" I asked Julia, confused.

"Yeah… so?" She replied.

"So what was Dumbledore thinking, putting you with a 5th year student? Bloody idiot."

"And how exactly does that make Dumbledore an idiot?"

"Well, she's either going to get lost finding her classes or you're going to be late for yours while you're making sure she gets to her classes."

"Actually, I don't think that's going to be a problem. And I think Dumbledore knew what he was doing when he asked me to show Julia around."

"Oh? And why do you think that?"

"Well, I presume Dumbledore thought that seeing as how I'm taking 6th year classes too, it wouldn't be a problem."

"You're skipping a year?"

"Took you long enough, huh? Yes, Malfoy, I'm taking 6th year classes this year. I would've thought you'd noticed that, what with you sitting directly behind me in most of our lessons and all. Clearly you're not all that observant though, eh? Bloody idiot."

I was stunned. How had I not noticed this? She couldn't really be sat in front of me, all of this time, could she? Huh…

The elderly Librarian watched this exchange with interest as she slowly made her way back over to the students, attempting to balance a large pile of books in her arms as she walked. "Sorry to interrupt. You'd better take these and hurry. You'll be late if you're not in your classrooms in 2 minutes."

The four students simultaneously turned to stare at the clock, their features turning suddenly to look panic-stricken, before grabbing the books and running out of the library.

"No running in the halls!" She shouted after them, mentally cursing herself a moment later for shouting at the students. After all, she didn't tolerate noise from anyone in her library, herself included.

As we ran along the halls, I couldn't help but think there was a flaw in this plan. Not only was it a nightmare trying to run with the weight of all of these books (we would never make it in time at this rate), but Ginny and Draco were lagging behind slightly, obviously not as accustomed to being late for lessons as I had been at school. Surely they should expect me to not know the way? To get lost if I didn't have them to follow? They wouldn't possibly know that it was me and my mates who had found more hidden passageways, ways in and out of Hogwarts, than anyone else at school. I wasn't in the lead though, the other new person was, and I was surprised to find that she was actually going the right way to the transfiguration classroom. Maybe Hogwarts wasn't quite as confusing as I thought it was when I started, so many years ago. "Hey, Julia, right?" I shouted to her as I struggled to keep running. "Are we going the right way." I heard her mumble under her breath as she finally took a wrong turn, and was so tempted, for a moment, to tell her to come back. But I couldn't let them know that I knew my way around. I turned around instead, waiting for Draco to catch up. "We're going the right way then I presume?"

"Well she's not, but we don't need to worry about that. That's Weaselette's problem, not ours. At least we won't be as late as they are to class."

"Julia! It's this way!" Ginny yelled to her friend, who hadn't been running quite as quickly as she was a moment ago, she quickly turned and ran back and the race to McGonagall's class continued.

I hated having to pretend I was new. _I_ have never been late to a lesson, not once in my life. Running in the opposite direction of the classroom was pure torture for me, but I knew once Jacob had mentioned it to me that I'd slipped up. I couldn't be so obvious in future. Ginny and I were behind the two boys now, steadily catching them up. It was clear that she didn't want to be the last one to class either, so we kept it up, hoping that we could overtake them and get there first. Ginny managed to race forward a bit, grabbing Draco's arm and knocking him over as she overtook him. As he fell, he managed to trip Jacob and Ginny. Narrowly avoiding Draco's leg, I carried on running. Ginny was the first to spring back to her feet and now we were ahead, so close to the classroom now…

Gasping for breath, the two girls quickly entered the classroom. The professor glancing at them disapprovingly. She hated having to punish her Gryffindor students, though she tried to be fair to her class. "Sorry… we're…late…Professor." Ginny said inbetween taking deep breaths. "We…had…to…get…books…for…"

"Sit!" Professor McGonagall replied sharply, looking more annoyed as another pair of students burst in through the door. "All of you. I want no more disturbances from any of my class, or I'll have to start giving out detentions. Now, if you turn to page 194…"

Draco, unnoticed by the Professor, managed to give Ginny a little shove as he walked past her to get to his desk. She glared daggers at him, unable to retaliate, as she quietly sat down next to Julia to listen to the Professor's lecture.


End file.
